


And the Band Played On

by Tricksterburd



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Angst, Brother Feels, Brothers, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Abuse, Mental Abuse, No shipping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sibling Love, Unconventional Families, Verbal Abuse, family love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-01-04
Packaged: 2017-11-23 15:06:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/623500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tricksterburd/pseuds/Tricksterburd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The roaring in his ears died down, and Rabbit fell to the ground at Peter's feet.  Spine stared in disbelief.  Peter didn't seem to notice as he took the offered box and screws, quickly twisting wires and bolting pieces into place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And the Band Played On

**Author's Note:**

> There is a song in this fic. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23oePEVM1nE  
> I do not own Steam Powered Giraffe. I change a lot of canon. Your feels WILL be broken.

It was perfect.  His prototype was perfect. Shining copper; inexpensive but formable, soft, but strong enough to withstand its own weight.  But before putting a new mind and soul into a body that could possibly kill him, Peter knew he had to test this.  He had to be smart about this.

So he put the core on a little tripod, and put the head on another tripod, and hooked up the head to a little steam engine he had that ran his wielder, and kicked it on.  In moments the green eyes flickered to life, the little copper skull blinking up at him.

Wow.

"Hello!  Can you hear me?"  The skull blinked.  "Okay. Um. Here!  This is a rabbit!"

Peter snatched up a cage with a white lab rabbit in it.  Holding it up to the robot's new eyes, he let it examine the creature.

"Rabbit."

"Rabbit."  The skull repeated, the voice box hanging from just a few wires from its cranium, right about where the bottom jaw would be if it had one.  Peter almost cried in joy!  Putting the bunny aside he picked up a pencil.

"Pen."

"Rabbit."

"No, pen."

"Rabbit."

"Um, here.  Book."

"Rabbit."

Peter buried his head in his hands.  Had he messed something up?  Had he crossed some wires somewhere?  The skull kept repeating the word over and over and over.

"Yes!  I get it!"  Peter shouted, glaring at the creature.  "You like rabbits, that's great.  Just.. just great."  He switched off the steam, and the eyes died to nothing.  What had he done wrong?

==========

It had a body now.  Peter hoped that by putting the core in something more stable, it would help the thing to think.  So it stood at six foot, eight inches tall, made mostly of copper and iron.  The skull had a mouth now, a grinning crude copper copy of a human skull.  Complete with ten rough teeth.  There were no faceplates as of yet.

Peter filled the boiler, connecting the last wires to the core.  It took a long time, but after a few minutes the robot finally charged itself into being able to move.

"Hello?"  Peter asked, praying for a real response this time.  The thing stared at him, two green eyes glowing with life.  "Anything?"  Its head tilted to the other side.  Then it opened its mouth.

"Rabbit."

"Oh god not again."

"My name is Rabbit."

"…What?"

"My name is Rabbit, but ya can call me Rabbit!"

"I, uh.  What?  I didn't give you a name."

"What's your name?"

"Me?  I'm, I'm Colonel Peter A. Walter.  I made you."

"Ya made me?"

"Yes."

"Hi Pappy, my name is Rabbit!"  Peter put his grease covered hand to his forehead.  He had created an idiot. 

==========

"What's this?"

"A hammer."

"Whatsit do?"

"It hits things."

"What's this?"

"A screw."

"Whatsit do?"

"Holds things together."

For the last two days, Peter had been working on finishing his second humanoid robot.  Not trusting "The Rabbit" to wander around his house alone, Peter kept him in the workshop.  He was starting to regret it now, as the creature had yet to shut up.  

"What's this?"

"Another robot."

"Whatsit do?"

"Hopefully, not the same things you do."

"What's this?"

"Blue matter."

"Whatsit do?"

"Gives life to the most unusual things in existence."

"What's this?"

"RABBIT!  Go sit down!"

Rabbit did as he was told, sitting in the corner (the only place he actually fit with the vent pipes) and watched Peter work.  

"What's this?"

"UGH!"  Turns out that even on the floor, there were things to examine.  Rounding on Rabbit, Peter followed to where he was pointing.  The water pump.  Ooo, the water pump.  

"That is a good question Rabbit.  Come here, let me show you."

Peter grabbed the handle, kicking the bucket a bit more under the spigot so no water would get on the floor.  Then making sure Rabbit was watching, he lifted the handle and let it fall, water spitting out of the pipe and hitting the bucket.  Rabbit practically squealed in delight.

"This is water.  It's what you run on.  So every now and then, you need to come over here, and fill your tank with water.  Can you do that?"

Rabbit nodded gleefully, taking the offered handle.  After a few pumps he seemed to get the hang of how it worked.  A gentle "Don't over fill the bucket" and Peter was back to work, now in a semi-quiet room.  Until he was called by his maid to dinner.

Coming back, Peter knew it was going to be a long night again.  Rabbit had emptied every bucket in the workshop of their screws and nails and whatnots, and had them all neatly lined up on the table, full to the brim with water.

"I ran outta buckets Pappy!  Can I get summore?"

"Thaaaaaat's just _great_."

==========

Oh these boys were MUCH better!  Once the silver robot, dubbed "The Spine" due to his lovely lovely smokestack backbone, was finished, Peter actually got some work done.  The new robot was very smart, quick learning and patient to a T.  The total opposite of "Rabbit."  And best yet, he had taken to keeping the copper robot busy!  Out of the lab, and out of Peter's hair.  

"What's this?"

Speaking of which...

"Ugh.  That's a nail."

"Whatsit do?"

"It holds things together."

"What's this?"

"A phonograph.  You know that Rabbit you've used it."

"Whatsit do?"

"Rabbit!  It plays music you know this!"

"Rabbit, come, let us go outside."

"Okay Th'Spine!  Oh, can I Pappy?  Please?"

"YES!  Go, get out!"

"Cummon Spine!"  Rabbit grabbed The Spine's wrist, dragging him up the steps and into the hall before racing to the kitchen, the back door, the garden.  Finally outside, Rabbit slowed, throwing his head back and laughing as he spun around in the sun.  Yes, this was so much better than being stuck down in the workshop!  

"Hahahah!  Cummon Spine, play wif me!"  Rabbit let himself fall onto his back into the tall grass, vanishing from sight.  Spine crossed the lawn much slower, coming to a pause when he was by his older brother's head.  

"You shouldn't pester Mister Walter so much, The Rabbit."

"But Pappy teaches me things!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you should ask him questions never ending.  And you should be polite about it."

"But I don' wanna."

"And that's where in the problem lies."

Rabbit sat up, grabbing Spine's wrists and pulling him down.  Spine let him.  Though he was stronger than the copper automaton, he let him toss him around like a rag doll.  Rabbit would cause him no harm, and it was all in fun in the end.

"Spine?"  

"Hmm?"

"Can we play a game?"

"Of course Rabbit, that _is_ why we are out here."

"Uh-huh.  Can we do a song game?"

"What song did you have in mind?" 

Rabbit giggled, before fighting to his feet, pulling Spine along.  He wondered why Rabbit had brought him to the ground if he was going to stand up again anyway.  Taking a few steps off, Rabbit began to leap and twirl, dancing around and sing shouting as he did so.

" _Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde. And the band played on._   Come on Spine, sing wif me!  _Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde-_ "

" ** _And the band played on_** _._ "Spine joined in, face plates sliding into a primitive smile.

'Round and 'round Rabbit danced, grabbing up Spine once more and leading him into a very jumpy sort of waltz.

" _He'd glide 'cross the floor with the girl he adored_."

" ** _And the band played on_**."

" _But his brain was so loaded it nearly exploded_."  Rabbit was singing as loudly as he could.

" _The poor girl would shake with alarm_." Spine responded, fighting to keep his laughter to himself.

" ** _He'd ne'er leave the girl with the strawberry curls, and the band played on_**!" They shouted to the sky, breaking away and bowing to each other before Rabbit struck a pose.

" _Matt Casey formed a social club, that beat the town for style_." Rabbit winked, much to Spine's chagrin.  

" _And hired for a meeting place a hall._ " Spine's deep baritone had a nice tone to it when mixed with Rabbit's tenor, but did very well standing on its own.

" _When pay day came around each week_." Rabbit wasn't about to be outdone, though.

" ** _They greased the floor with wax.  And danced with noise and vigor, at the ball_**." Once more they came together, this time Spine lead the dance.

" _Each Saturday you'd see them, dressed up in Sunday clothes.  Each lad would have his sweetheart by his side_." Rabbit belted out.

" _By his side_."  Spine let his deeper tones ring through the air, vibrating inside both of their chests.  " _When Casey led the first grand march_."

" ** _They all would fall in line_**."

" _Behind the man who was their joy and pride._ " 

" _Joy and pride_." The song really didn't have these echoes, but Spine enjoyed adding them in anyway.

" _For Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde_."

" ** _And the band played on_**!"

They fell apart again, Spine laughing, carefree and happy.  Rabbit giggled as he squirmed in the grass, slowing and coming to a rest.  Finally he could lay still, energy blown off in his wild dance around the lawn.

"Feeling better?"  Spine asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Come on then.  Let's get back inside before Father thinks we ran off into the forest again."

==========

Rabbit and Spine watched as Peter shoved at the brass and gold robot's chest.  The core, for some reason, was not fitting right.  He was pushing, pulling, had even expanded the cage it goes into.  So out it came, Peter shaving down the glass ball, working carefully but quickly.  He HAD to  get this done!  Back to the robot, push, shove, pull.  

The lid popped open.

Peter wasn't sure how Rabbit had moved so fast, but the automaton had grabbed  him, spinning him around and covering him from the blast.  Peter was shocked, rocked by the sudden movement and direction change.  And he was angry.  Blue matter was doing something new!  Something he had never seen before!  And he wasn't able to watch it!  

The roaring in his ears died down, and Rabbit fell to the ground at Peter's feet.  The robot was twitching, glitching and curling in on himself.  Spine, who had been in the corner, rushed over and knelt at his side.  Peter was about to speak up when his eyes caught sight of something moving.  The brass creation was awake!

The brass frame with loose gold plating had changed from what Peter had built.  It was more human now, less structured as to match Spine and Rabbit.  But still robotic enough to not draw too much attention away.  The creature blinked blue eyes at him, a tiny smile shifting the plates as he looked around the workshop.  

"Oh, did someone get hurt?"  The flighty voice filled the air, making Peter step back.  Oh he liked this one already.  But it did draw his attention back to Rabbit.  Spine had the oldest sitting up now, the robot still twitching.  It was clear to see that his left optic had been broken.  The new robot slid off the table, crouching by Rabbit and inspecting the damage.

"This does not seem so bad.  I am sure it can be fixed."

"Y-y-ya th-think so?"

Peter stared.  Rabbit stuttered?  When did that come about?  That hadn't been there before!  Spine seemed just as taken back.  But the golden robot just smiled wider.

"I think it will happen sooner than you know.

==========

The new robot was something that when he had more time, Peter would like to study further.  He was full of a child like wonder, a kind soul, but intelligent and able to learn.  This new robot was smart, very clever, but kind and soft.  Peter was reminded of a child of maybe ten.  Rabbit on the other hand was a toddler, if that.  

Pleased, Peter began work on a forth robot.  His original plan had been to present Delilah with three singing robots atop a giant giraffe.  There wasn't a chance of using Rabbit.  The robot had flat out refused to practice, being far more interested in chasing butterflies than the harmonies with his brothers in the practice hall.  So it was to making another robot.  The other two took to babysitting, though "Three" had taken a lot of that responsibility on his shoulders.  The brass robot was much more on Rabbit's level, allowing Spine time to sit and speak and work with Peter.  Spine still spent time with Rabbit, but now he was able to learn as well.

Intrigued by the third robot's blue photo receptors, Peter had set to exploring them some, trying to duplicate it for the new robot.  He created three, replacing Rabbit's broken green eye with the one of the new blue ones.  That's what he was good for now, after all.  Testing new products before putting them into the "good" robots, in case something went wrong.  

"Well?"

Rabbit closed the blue eye, then opened it and closed the green eye, going back and forth.  

"'Skinda blurry."

"The new one?"

"Yep."

"Hmm."

Peter set about creating a lens, glass infused with blue matter, and placing it on Rabbit's face.

"Oh!  I can see n-n-now!"

"Good."  Peter took the glass, setting a second one in the other half of the frame.  The new robot had the other two optics, and now the new pair of glasses Peter had made for him.  A trick with the blue matter again, and a new brother was created for the slowly growing robotic family.

==========

The new robot's first rehearsal, just a week before Peter was scheduled to show his great inventions, went well enough.  They were harmonizing beautifully, their timing was spot on, and they even remembered all the words!  On the last song, however, the third robot, made of brass frame and golden skin, coughed a mouthful of sparks and smoke streamed from his smoke stack atop his head.  Rabbit ran to him, hugging his younger brother close.  

It took both Spine and Peter five minutes to pry the robot loose, finally allowing them access to see what had occurred.  Sitting "Three" down in a chair, Peter extracted a very badly burnt vocal speaker.  With a defeated sigh, Peter sat heavy in his own chair, turning the box in his hands.

"I don't have _time_ to create a new one."

Rabbit bounced from foot to foot, clapping his hands together.

"I can help I can help!"  Rabbit peered at his second younger brother with his good green eye, then judged the broken box in his father's hand.  A moment later, he was using the second joint of his index finger to undo the screws that held his jaw in place.  Peter watched, fascinated.  

Rabbit removed his jaw, setting it on the table, before grasping the box that it had protected and housed.  With a yank, he pulled it free, wires snapping and fraying slightly.  He took the voice box, and the screws from his jaw, and pressed them into Pappy's hands.  His jaw had held the box in place.  Three's box was screwed into holding in his chest.  The old screws were much too small, and would need new ones.  The ones on his face should do nicely!

Spine stared in disbelief.  Peter didn't seem to notice as he took the offered box and screws, quickly twisting wires and bolting pieces into place.

"Rabbit, are you sure about this?" Spine asked, voice shaking.

Rabbit nodded, anxiously clacking his fingers together.  

"Alright, give it a try."  Peter closed the chest piece, locking the void, hot dog, and fish safely behind a plate of brass and gold.  Three looked from Peter to Rabbit, who nodded encouragingly.  

"What would you like me to sing?"

Despite the box having once been Rabbit's, the voice that came from it now was that sweet, soft, shy one that Three had woken up with.  Rabbit jumped in joy, wrapping his arms around "Brassy" and holding him close.  The golden 'bot smiled, hugging him back.

"Thank you Rabbit!  It's just for now, I promise to give it back when Daddy makes me a new one, okay?"  Rabbit shrugged and nodded.  So long as they could sing, he was happy.  

Spine pulled Rabbit aside in the hall later, once practice was over.

"Rabbit, you _love_ to sing!  Why didn't you just practice with us?  And why did you give it over so willingly?  You could have taken his place, sang _with_ us!"

Rabbit shook his head, patting Spine on the shoulder.

"What if Father never gives you your voice back?  Or puts your jaw back together?"

Rabbit shrugged.  He trusted Pappy, the man made him, he wouldn't let him sit like this forever!  

==========

Rabbit was dancing for joy as he lead the way through the door, into the house, celebrating with every step.  The concert had gone well.  The three robots had sat atop the giant giraffe automaton, singing glorious love ballads and improvised songs while the Cavalcadium cheered below them, Rabbit watching from the sidelines.  Peter was so very proud.  At first.

"I don't understand!  She should have been there!  She's a member, and they were built for her in the first place.  Why wasn't she there?"  He muttered, walking right by his hugging, celebrating robots, and closing himself away in his workshop.  Rabbit broke away from his brothers, following him dutifully and knocking quietly on the door.

"GO AWAY RABBIT!"  Of course he would know who it was.  Rabbit knocked again.  "I SAID NO!"  

Rabbit, naturally, didn't listen.  He turned the door handle, pushing his way inside.  Spine watched him disappear over the heads of his other brothers.  It was so obvious how hard the little robot tried.  

Rabbit crept into the dark room, tripping over a paint can only once.  Peter sat on a stool, his arms crossed on a table, hiding his face in them.  Crossing as lightly as he could, Rabbit knelt next to the seated man, touching his leg lightly.

"Go. Away."  

Rabbit nuzzled his head into Peter's lap, stroking his foot lovingly.  After a moment, Peter dropped a hand to Rabbit's head.  Closing his glowing eyes, Rabbit offered his silent comfort.  The two sat quietly for a few hours, until dinner was called.  The same scene replayed itself a week later, when news of Delilah's death reached Peter.


End file.
